The Rise of Daniel
Daniel 1:1-21
April 24, 2016
Well tonight we begin a new study in the word of God,
And it is one that presents us with a truth that we all must remember.
Almost immediately those who have ever read Daniel get excited
Because they know there is a lot of prophecy that is recorded here.
Daniel has a lot to say about the tribulation and return of Christ.
One could really argue that Daniel gives more information
About some of those things than the book of Revelation.
But unlocking the future is not the main aim of the book of Daniel.
The main point of the book of Daniel
Is to remind you who is in control of the future.
The main purpose is to remind you that God is SOVEREIGN
The Sovereignty of God literally drips out of the book of Daniel.
The book covers a time span of over 70 years,
Through two world dynasties and multiple world rulers
And the theme that emerges time and time again is that
Regardless who sits on the throne, God is still in control.
• In chapter 4 God will humble Nebuchadnezzar
• In chapter 5 He’ll humble Belshazzar
• In chapter 6 He’ll humble Darius the Mede
Through visions of prophecy God will literally spell out for Daniel
That He is in absolute control of even the smallest details
Regarding the rise and fall of kingdoms.
Nebuchadnezzar learned it.
Daniel 4:34-37 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘ What have You done?’ “At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
Darius the Mede learned it:
Daniel 6:25-27 “Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: “May your peace abound! “I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Those were two pagan rulers both learned that God is in control.
And hopefully by the time the book is over you’ll learn it too.
What makes this book then so important to us?
It was written in a time of national disaster for Israel.
• Their kings were dead…
• Their temple would soon be burned…
• Their people were deported…
If there was ever a time for Israel to feel like God had lost control
It would have been the 70 year exile,
And yet nothing could be further from the truth.
This book serves as a reminder that even in the darkest of times
God is still on the throne perfectly accomplishing His purposes.
You may not realize this but we are currently in an election year.
And it doesn’t appear to me that anyone I know is too happy about our options.
With every passing year there seems to be
A genuine concern for where we are headed.
And then we read strange passages like this in Scripture:
Romans 13:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”
• Could it really be true that the 4 candidates we have for President are God’s final four?
• Are we really to assume that God put Barack Obama in office?
Well according to Paul that is precisely what you are to assume.
Listen to Peter:
1 Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”
First you tell me that it was God’s will that these leaders take office
And now you tell me that it is God’s will
That we submit to them and give them honor.
Bearing in mind of course that “the king” in Peter’s day was Nero who was harder on the church than you and I can imagine.
That was the whole “feeding Christians to the lions” day and time.
But God selected him, put him in power
And then commanded His people to submit.
This is even true right down to the ruler whom God appointed to command that His very own Son be crucified.
John 19:10-11 “So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
God gave Pilate the authority that he used to kill His own Son.
WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT PREACHER?
That just because things seem dark and bad
Does not mean that God has somehow lost control.
He is ever in control!
He is sovereign over all things.
Psalms 103:19 “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.”
1 Timothy 6:11-16 “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time — He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”
Paul reminded Timothy that regardless of his circumstances
He should maintain the life that pleases God,
Because whether it looks like it or not, God is still in control.
And no book in the Bible reveals that better than the book of Daniel.
God is about to use a Jewish refugee
To humble kings and show a nation that He has it all figured out.
And tonight I want you to see the rise of that young man.
The story of Daniel is not so different from the story of Joseph.
• Both were mere boys when they left their home land.
• Both failed to ever return.
• Both spent time in prison.
• Both were exalted to positions of leadership.
• Both were used to encourage their people that God was in control.
God was at work in the life of Daniel,
Much like He was through the life of Joseph.
Now you may not get visions and prophecies like Daniel and Joseph did,
But that doesn’t mean that where God has you is some sort of a mistake.
Tonight we learn that your setting and circumstances are not a mistake.
God is at work around you and seeks to work through you.
God is in control!
• I don’t care how corrupt the government becomes…
• I don’t care if the land is saturated in pagan worship…
• I don’t care if there is oppression on every side…
• I don’t care if it looks like God has been completely removed from every walk
of life…
Read the book of Daniel and learn to see who is really in control.
Tonight let’s look at this first chapter which is: The Rise of Daniel
4 points to consider
#1 DANIEL’S SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES
Daniel 1:1-7
The first chapter of Daniel is interesting to me
Because it reads very much like a missionary bio.
Daniel was a young man in a difficult situation
Who allowed himself to be used of God in a great way.
WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM THAT.
I want you to see how it was God’s sovereign plan and provision
That gave Daniel this unique opportunity.
THE FIRST THING you’ll notice about these specific circumstances is that GOD SELECTED THE LOCATION.
(1-2) “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.”
You are aware that Jehoiakim was not the last King in Judah.
There would be two more arise after him.
This was not the final fall of Jerusalem.
That comes 19 years later when Zedekiah is king and Nebuchadnezzar burns the temple.
This is the first wave of deportation.
(Ezekiel’s group is going next)
What is very important for you to recognize is the phrase that begins verse 2, “The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand”
God didn’t lose here, this was God’s decision.
This was God’s plan.
And incidentally this had been God’s plan for quite some time.
• All the way back to the days when Hezekiah was king in Israel and Isaiah was the prophet, you may remember Hezekiah showed the temple treasure to some delegates from Chaldea.
Isaiah said:
Isaiah 39:3-7 “Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the LORD. ‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.'”
When you read through the Kings,
God’s decision is reiterated over and over.
• When Hezekiah’s son Manasseh became king he was exceptionally evil, and the Lord said:
2 Kings 21:10-15 “Now the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the Amorites did who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols; therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. ‘I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ‘I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies; because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.'”
• Manasseh’s grandson Josiah became king and he served the Lord, but regardless of his obedience, God still said:
2 Kings 23:26-27 “However, the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. The LORD said, “I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.'”
The point is that God had decreed this.
Jeremiah 29:10 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.”
We have a tendency to want to think that
All bad things were not the will of God.
We have difficulty understanding how
God could allow a pagan nation to conquer a nation of His chosen people.
To us that seems wrong.
It certainly seemed wrong to Habakkuk.
• When God told him this would happen, he said:
Habakkuk 1:13-17 “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they? Why have You made men like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things without a ruler over them? The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, Drag them away with their net, And gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net And burn incense to their fishing net; Because through these things their catch is large, And their food is plentiful. Will they therefore empty their net And continually slay nations without sparing?”
Habakkuk just couldn’t understand that
God would bring something like this on Israel.
We tend to think the same thing.
But that is exactly what happened.
• The exile was God’s idea.
• He promised it and He delivered.
Incidentally most agree that Daniel was somewhere around the age of 15
When he was deported to Babylon.
BUT GOD SENT DANIEL TO THE LAND OF BABYLON
I ALSO WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE that God had set Daniel and his friends apart for this by reason of their NATURAL ABILITY AND STATUS.
(READ VS. 3-7)
It is highly likely that the first wave of refugees
Were the most noble and sophisticated of the land.
They took the most educated and powerful first.
And from these the king of Babylon was looking for
The cream of the crop to serve him.
He looked for “youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court;”
(I think most of us would have been safe)
The point is that Daniel certainly had no say in whether or not he was good looking or intelligent.
All of those years of prosperity and good fortune
Were not just so he could have a better life than those around him.
He was created this way for this specific purpose.
• He had to be good looking
• He had to be intelligent
• He had to be educated
In order for him to get the opportunity God had ordained for him.
You should look at your own personal situation in the same manner.
It is by no mistake that you are who you are.
It is by no mistake that you can do what you can do.
• Do you suppose one can sing and another can’t because God just liked one better than another?
• Do you suppose one can speak and another can’t because God just liked one better than another?
Of course not.
God ordained everything about you
For the purpose He in which intends to use you.
Paul wrote:
Romans 12:3-8 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
God created you like you are for His purposes.
This is seen clearly in Daniel.
Daniel was the right man at the right place at the right time.
Incidentally, so are you.
Acts 17:26 “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,”
• You may wonder why you were fortunate enough to be born in America (as opposed to a third world country)
• You may wonder why you have the abilities and privileges that you do as opposed to those who do without.
It is not because God favors you more than others.
It is because this is part of how God seeks to use you.
God created you as perfect tool to accomplish His purpose.
You can see that in Daniel, learn to see that in yourself.
Daniel’s Specific Circumstances
#2 DANIEL’S SPIRITUAL CONVICTION
Daniel 1:8-16
Now the setting is only half of the equation.
It is no mistake that you are where you are at an appointed time.
That does not mean that you just need to sit back and do nothing.
YOU ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE THE MOST OF THAT OPPORTUNITY.
Ephesians 5:15-17 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”
In other words, God placed you where you are, now be faithful there.
• Maybe He placed you in the ministry…
• Maybe He placed you in the school…
• Maybe He placed you in your work place…
• Maybe He placed you in the NFL…
• Maybe He placed you in prison…
Now you must choose to be faithful to that calling
And make the most of that opportunity.
Daniel does, and it is so simple what he does.
(8) “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.”
This serves as a good reminder that
Faithfulness doesn’t always have to be something massive.
• Daniel didn’t start a Bible study among Chaldonian servants…
• Daniel didn’t organize a revolt among Jewish refugees…
• Daniel didn’t form an underground railroad to take Jews back home…
Daniel just decided to stay faithful to God’s commands
In the midst of a corrupt society.
And he wasn’t even unruly about it.
“he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.”
One of the truly remarkable aspects of this book is that
You are going to see people make amazing declarations of faith
And yet not one of them will do so
With an unsubmissive or disrespectful attitude.
Daniel didn’t get on facebook and blast the Babylonian government and say, “Enough is enough! I’ll eat that food when you pry it into my cold dead hand!”
He was submissive to the governing authorities.
• Later you’ll see his three friends refuse to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol but
they aren’t disrespectful or unruly when they do it and they willingly accept
the consequences.
• You’ll see Daniel be faced with the den of lions, but there is no fight in him
against those in authority.
Sometimes our culture thinks faithfulness requires rebellion,
BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE.
The same God that told us to be faithful also told us
• To be submissive to the governing authorities,
• To pray for those in power,
• To honor the king,
• To live in peace with everyone.
There may very well come a day when we must submit to the consequences of refusing to obey godless commands,
But I never see a place where revolting and slandering is the answer.
Daniel chose faithfulness and he did so in a submissive way.
He honored the ruler while honoring his God.
AND LOOK AT THE RESULT. (We see sovereignty again)
(READ 9-14)
Did you catch that?
“God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander”
God took care of it.
Daniel proposed a test, which incidentally put all the weight on God’s back.
Daniel could control what food he ate,
But he could not control how it would affect his body.
That was totally up to God.
God came through
(15-16) “At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.”
God opened the door.
And now, because of their faithfulness,
They were a testimony to those around them.
WE MUST ALSO CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS
Now, at this point, you should know that
This is still not enough on its own.
Jesus made this clear to the disciples after He rose from the dead.
Luke 24:49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
• They were in the right place at the right time
• They were called to be faithful
• But they were called to wait for help that only God could supply
Daniel’s Specific Circumstances, Daniel’s Spiritual Conviction
#3 DANIEL’S SUPERNATURAL CAPABILITY
Daniel 1:17
Daniel chose faithfulness, God supplied the rest.
“God gave them…”
“knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom”
To show you how remarkable this was, we read:
“Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”
This goes well beyond simple natural ability.
God had to supply what was lacking
In order for them to accomplish His purposes.
We see the same in the New Testament:
Acts 4:13-14 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.”
Acts 6:8-10 “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.”
It is the reminder that Christ is the vine and we are the branches
And that apart from Him we can do nothing.
Faithfulness is important, but it is not enough.
There must still be supernatural ability which flows only from God.
You can do nothing by your own
Strength, Intelligence, and Ingenuity.
God must do it through you.
And that is what is happening here.
• Daniel is in God’s place at God’s time
• And Daniel desires to be faithful.
• Therefore God is giving Daniel all that he needs to be faithful and accomplish that purpose.
Are you afraid that where you are
You can’t accomplish what God has in store for you?
You choose faithfulness, let God do the rest.
Let Him open the doors
Let Him create the opportunities
Let Him grant the privileges
That is what he is doing for Daniel.
It is supernatural power.
Specific Circumstances, Spiritual Commitment, Supernatural Capability
#4 DANIEL’S STEADY COMMITMENT
Daniel 1:18-21
God made Nebuchadnezzar’s decision an obvious one.
Nebuchadnezzar didn’t choose these boys, God did.
God knows what He is about to do.
What we love is the last verse of this chapter.
(21) “And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.”
Somewhere around 69 years.
(Would have made Daniel around 85 years old)
That is what you call a life of faithfulness and dedication.
• Daniel will be faithful through the Babylonian reigns of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.
• Daniel will be faithful when the Medes and the Persians conquer Babylon and through the reigns of Darius and Cyrus.
• Daniel will face annihilation several times, the most famous being the lion’s den.
• Daniel will faithfully stand before kings on numerous occasions.
• And throughout his life, regardless of the way the world changes around him, Daniel remains steady.
We all agree that the story about the lion’s den is pretty amazing,
But honestly it is Daniel’s entire life that is amazing.
70 years in a pagan nation and Daniel is a steady faithful force.
One thing I’ve learned in my short time in the ministry is that
God very rarely works like a flash in the pan.
He is the gentle blowing that He revealed to Elijah.
He requires the faithful steadiness of His people.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
• Here was a 15 year old boy,
• Who was uprooted from his comfortable home in Judah.
• He was thrown into a pagan culture where there was an attempt made to brainwash him into that sinful culture.
• This young man simply chose to be faithful to God where God has placed him
• And God used that man in mighty ways over the course of his entire life.
Who knew that a decision not to defile himself with pagan food
Would be such a big decision?
Do you understand then how important it is
That you see God’s sovereign hand in your circumstances?
• That you are where you are for a reason.
• That you are who you are for a reason.
• That those little daily decisions can in be very big decisions of faithfulness.
Daniel’s faithfulness was simple, but it was consistent for his entire life
And God would use this young refugee
To show 4 of the most powerful rulers this world has ever seen
That they really aren’t as big as they think.
And He’d use Daniel to encourage a nation
That the real Ruler is on His way.
